Conventional domestic washing and drying machines provide users with a convenient way to launder their clothing in the comfort of their home. Traditionally washing and drying machines are setup as individual units. The washing machine units are typically top opening or front opening cabinet devices that house a rotating drum. The articles of clothing are deposited into the drum to be washed. Once the articles of clothing are washed, they are transferred to the drying machine. The drying machine unit is typically a front opening cabinet that also houses a rotating drum. While the intent of each unit is different both units include similar components that can be combined to form a single unit that saves space and time.
While it is well known in the art that a washing and drying machine can be combined within the same cabinet, these combination units carry several disadvantages when compared to traditional dual cabinet assemblies. One of the disadvantages observed with the combination units relates to their smaller load capacity in comparison to traditional dual cabinet units. Traditional stand alone washer and drying machine units can generally handle larger loads, due in part to their design being optimized for a singular use. Another disadvantage that is seen with current combination washer and drying machine combination units is that they take significantly longer to dry the same size loads. This disadvantage is caused by the condensation system typically employed by current washer and drying combination units. The condensation system is employed to dry the moisture found within the drum of the combination unit. For the dryer portion of the drying machine to dry the clothing, the unit must first spend time condensing the moisture found within the drum. Still another disadvantage associated with the combination washer and drying machines is that they are considered energy inefficient when compared to traditional stand alone washer and dryer units. Traditional stand alone units have the advantage of energy efficiency due to their well known design that allows manufactures to easily integrate various proven energy saving features.
It is therefore the object of the present invention to provide a washing and drying machine that utilizes a rotating drum with a plurality of blades that can efficiently wash larger loads, takes less time drying the loads, and is more energy efficient than current combination washer and drying machines. The present invention accomplishes this by improving the flow of fluids within the drum which reduces the time required for the drum to dry, which reduces the total drying time for the articles of clothing. Furthermore, by reducing the drying time the combination unit saves energy. Additionally, the present invention has the benefit of being scaled to meet the demand of a large load size.